A quinze is just a snow house made from loose snow, heaped up, and allowed to set before hollowing out the interior. It's actually warmer than an igloo, if made properly.<br>I mentioned in a previous post about doing a bit of trapping, fishing, and learning about edible plants, nothing too serious. This reduces the burden of carrying too much food. I'd much rather buy it to tell you the truth, but when you're miles from the nearest store you haven't got much choice. The idea of going on a winter trip like this would be to gain as much bodyweight as possible, beforehand. Some people will know, especially people who regularly lose weight, the body becomes very sensitive to gaining weight the first chance it gets. People who are not in the habit of losing weight will find they aren't very good at gaining it either, at least not quickly. I find gaining and losing 40lB fairly easy.<br>I'm a little wary of venturing too far in cold and snowbound conditions, since I hike alone. You ask when, where, how long? It would be next year, january or february, where exactly I don't know. I'd like to try and endure it for at least 4 weeks. I'm looking forward to those northern lights.